The World

Turkey has deployed security forces to its border with Greece to keep migrants from being pushed back into its territory. Meanwhile, Greek authorities are at the border trying to prevent access to their country. The World's Lydia Emmanouilidou is at the border in Orestiada, Greece. And, how we use our hands to interact with others is different across cultures, and habits are changing because of the novel coronavirus. Also, a social historian commemorates the lives of the women murdered by London's 19th serial killer Jack the Ripper.

There's been one confirmed case of coronavirus in Nigeria, but false information is quickly spreading. And, the International Criminal Court has ruled that the United States and Afghan government can be investigated for alleged war crimes dating back to 2003. Plus, pop star Mai Khôi, the Lady Gaga of Vietnam, sings about censorship and human rights. But her music is getting her in some hot water.

From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 100,000. Swarms of locusts are devouring crops in Pakistan, raising the threat of famine. The infestation has prompted the country to declare a national emergency. Neighboring China has offered to help by sending 100,000 ducks to Pakistan’s most impacted areas.

School were cancelled In Italy, journalists and politicians suspect the government of a cover-up in Iran and in Kenya, and officials are trying to contain fake news. We have the latest on COVID-19 from some of the places affected. Also, a Greek member of the European parliament discusses the tense situation along the Greece-Turkey border where migrants have been flocking in an attempt to reach Europe. And, climate change is claiming another victim: ice wine — a sweet dessert wine grown in Germany where the grapes no longer freeze during the winter, preventing the vintners from making the wine.

Violence has escalated on the small Greek island of Lesbos this week. Clashes intensified after the Turkish government said they were opening their border with Greece, allowing the passage of thousands more asylum-seekers. And, it's Super Tuesday — when 14 states hold their primaries. But many voters concerned about where the candidates stand on immigration polices are still waiting on specifics from most of the Democratic presidential front-runners. Also, nightclubs in Berlin, Germany, have a rich history and cultural significance, but are increasingly under threat due to gentrification and rising property rates. Now, a group is asking the government to give nightclubs the same protections as opera houses and theaters.

In Wuhan, China — where COVID-19 began — residents now volunteer to obtain supplies, make deliveries to hospitals and raise funds to fight the coronavirus. And, Taliban officials say they're resuming military operations just days after signing a peace deal with the US after Afghanistan's government rejected the timeline for a prisoner swap. Plus, a US federal appeals court flip flops as it invalidates — then reinstates — President Donald Trump's "Remain in Mexico" program, which has sent nearly 60,000 migrants back to Mexico.

Refugees from Syria clamored to board buses in Istanbul on Friday with the hope of a passage to Europe. We're fact-checking the news that's being seen as a response to the escalating war in Syria where 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government troops. And, how Singapore may be a model for handling the coronavirus outbreak. Plus, gorillas at the Werribee Open Range Zoo near Melbourne, Australia, love listening to Michael Bublé. So, the crooner decided to stop by and give them a private concert.

Muslims who have planned an Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia have had their plans canceled over the Kingdom's decision to ban foreign pilgrims from entering the country to visit its Islamic holy sites over coronavirus fears. And, a man in Afghanistan who helped the United States now feels increasingly trapped there as the US makes moves toward a peace deal with Taliban. Also, French voters are heading to the polls soon to elect new mayors and city councils. But, in many French towns and villages, nobody is even running.

US health officials are now signalling that the spread of coronavirus appears inevitable in the United States. And, despite sporting events being postponed or canceled globally because of the coronavirus, the year's largest sporting event — the 2020 summer Olympics — are still scheduled for July in Japan. But officials from International Olympic Committee suggest that could change at any time. Plus, Scotland will soon become the only nation in the world to make tampons and sanitary pads available to women free of charge at various community centers.

Iran's coronavirus death toll rose to 16 on Tuesday, the highest outside of China, and real extent infections could be much higher — increasing the country's international isolation as health authorities move to accelerated emergency measures to curb the epidemic's global spread. And, it was a brief state visit, but on his way out of India, President Donld Trump said he asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about religious freedom. Also, researchers at Georgia Tech have devised a mathematical model for making the perfect fried rice.